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Problem Statement

The client, in the aerospace and defense industry, has requested the design of a micro aerial vehicle (MAV) for reconnaissance missions, such as close-range target surveillance without being detected.  The very few drones that can provide reasonable maneuverability and endurance at MAV sizes such as the Black Hornet cost of over $200,000, limiting their application to high-risk missions only. Additionally, in most drones, noise is a major concern, which the client specially wanted to minimize to remain undetectable. To address these issues, the design team has spent months to develop a substantially cheaper MAV that has whisper level noise while achieving the maneuverability, stealth, endurance, and disposability requirements in today's reconnaissance missions.

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Product Specifications

Flight range of 10 km to ensure operator safety when calling a targeted air strike

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A flight time of 20 minutes to compete with military MAVs

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Maximum flight speed of 60 km/hr to track vehicles

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Noise levels at 30 dB to avoid audio detection from 5 m away

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Total weight at 56 g for optimal portability​

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Small MAV dimensions of 7.2 cm x 7.2 cm x 3.6 cm  for stealth â€‹â€‹

Propeller Design for Noise Reduction

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Conventional Propeller

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Our Proprietary Propeller

The major contribution to noise in any drone are the propellers as they rotate and collide with air. The larger the diameter and higher the RPM, the more the noise generated. 

 

We analyzed various geometries based on NACA profiles that suit our aerodynamic needs and designed a proprietary 40 mm diameter 3 bladed propeller with major innovation in reducing vortex generations at the propeller tips, the main source of how noise is created.

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We took inspiration from aircraft winglet design to formulate the geometry to arrive at a final design that attains desired noise levels of 30 dB at 5 m away from the target, the closest the drone will conduct surveillance from.  

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